Friday, April 15, 2011

Philippines - Antonio's Tagaytay - a one-of-a-kind

Have you ever heard of a place that you're so eager to go but you told yourself that one day you'll be there with your "THE ONE"?

And this 2011, my dream for almost a decade has finally came true.

it all started passing by at this sign.

This mansion look-a-like from the front gate makes you already feel at home. And aside from the staff, this happy elephant greeted us at the front door.

Before we were lead to the dining area, we passed by at this section, where lots of memorabilia of the owner are displayed. I am in love, it's so homey.

Antonio's setting is just like home. You can eat outside and be closer to nature or you can sit inside with big chandeliers and still be in contact with nature. Big windows are open and Tagaytay, where this restaurant is situated, has this fresh air and coolness that we Manilenos love going to when we want an escape from the pollution and busy-ness of Manila.

when you order this fresh mango juice, you get the same mango ice cubes to complement with it :) good idea, isn't it? - an order is about 2 glasses - $7 sgd or 3.5 euro

We were given only the main course menu, and each main course comes with...

raspberry vinagrette salad with blue cheese - greens were fresh just like all their ingredients

soup of the day

*They also offer other starters and salads but this is what is served in their standard menu (i'm sure upgrades are welcomed)

For our entrees...

this was my order and every single bite was so tasty. Even though it's a bit burnt outside, it gave the tenderness of the meat that crunchy bits. I picked pumpkin sage risoni as my side dish and it was heaven!

boasted that this organic free poultry came from Antonio's farm...the bourbon tomato complemented well to the chicken, giving its wonderful taste.

And they catered this sampler for those who can't decide what to order in their seafood specialties(just like my sister LOL). from left to right: Pan-seared scallops on truffle cream sauce, prawn thermidor and the chilean seabass baked with tomato, olive, parsley, pine nuts on mashed potato. Looking at this in the menu may not be enticing, but trying it out says otherwise. A light entreé but exquisitely heavy in taste.

I chose this for dad and i'm so glad i made the right choice for him. I think this was the 5-star plate of the day. From left to right, grilled beef fillet gratinated w/ wild mushrooms on mashed potato, honey glazed lamb loin gratinated with goat cheese (HT wife's choice!) and beef fillet on plancha with black pepper sauce. Each piece was nicely cooked and the taste is just inexplicable. It really deserves having Antonio's name (period).

A wonderful meal wouldn't be complete without...

desserts!!! I'll be honest that the desserts were just ok, or i guess i made high expectations after tasting all their entrees wherein negativity was out of my vocabulary. I love the chocolate terrine among these sweets.

After everything, the Tarragon Tea still impressed me...

What i like about Antonio's is not only the food but the whole dining experience. We didn't even notice we were there for almost 4 hours! We were just enjoying every moment of our stay.

And the best part of the story is: It was worth a decade waiting to experience Antonio's being with my..

Thanks Charlene! We really did! :) I guess, sometimes, it doesn't matter where but as long as you're with THE WHO :D. But if the place is perfect, that's a big plus :) Say Hi to Chewy Charles from me :D

We went to dine there on 3rd April 2011 with our children living in Manila. This was our best dining experience in Philippines. My main course was Organic Free Roast Chicken Leg which was delicious. I also got to taste my husband's Beef Steak and I admit that I had never tasted such a fine chunk of meat anywhere. The ambiance of the outlet was a treat for the eyes. Nasreen A Ghori